<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The legend of Saint Clouds by LinaLuthor</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286271">The legend of Saint Clouds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLuthor/pseuds/LinaLuthor'>LinaLuthor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Christmas in Fódlan [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Christmas Presents, F/F, Fluff, Mercie runs an orphanage and Ingrid wants to visit, Nonbinary Ingrid, Post-Canon, post crimson flower route, we love Freya in this house</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:28:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28286271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLuthor/pseuds/LinaLuthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the war has been won, the Emperor, her partners and friends start their first attempts to pacify Fódlan and work towards a better future. One of them is Ingrid, the knight that found some freedom to be who they were with the Black Eagles. </p><p>However, since Saint Seiros day is no more, how can Ingrid help their beloved Mercedes give the children she has been caring for some sort of celebration?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Mercedes von Martritz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Christmas in Fódlan [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072001</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The legend of Saint Clouds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuro_Ko/gifts">Kuro_Ko</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> “Dear Ingrid, </em>
</p><p>
  <em> It has been a pretty hectic year, has it not? A lot has changed during it, but I’m sure you’ve noticed it way more than I ever could since you’re quite literally in the middle of it. Though I’ll be honest, through all those years that I’ve known you I never thought I’d see the day you’d actually take up a position in politics. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> But then, you and Edelgard have always had such great…. chemistry, if you allow me to speak freely, that it makes me happy to see you working together after the war as well. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> I always laugh at your letters and your descriptions of how some nobles just refuse to give up their position, no matter how you almost tell them to their faces that they’re useless and a hindrance to the new Fódlan as it is. Please keep them coming, hearing from you makes my days. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Now hm, why was I even writing this to begin with? Ah, yes! You asked me about the orphanage and how they kids are coping with the lack of Saint Seiros day this year. Well, the place is running very well actually, I enjoy Annette’s and Lysithea’s help a lot (until they actually start eating all the treats I make for the children behind my back, but that’s another issue altogether) and they’re very cute as a couple too. The kids were scared of Lys at first but now look up to her and Annie as teachers and mages - though I had to stop them from casting spells inside the house, or else they would burn it to the ground in no time. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> As for Saint Seiros day or the lack thereof, we decided to still handle them gifts since they were whining a little bit about not having to celebrate at all. Annette and Lysithea also agreed on it, apparently they hated the family aspect of it but would never say “no” to new spell books and the likes when the day arrived. The problem so far is that I have no idea on how to justify the presents because Saint Seiros is no more! Or how to get the toys too, as we're pretty busy making sure everything is running smoothly. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Surely we’ll think of something until then, but we’re open to ideas if you have any. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I hope this letter finds you well, that you have your meals and rest some too. I’d be more than happy to send Edelgard a letter so she can make sure you get some days off, as I'm sure she can agree with me that you’re more than deserving of them. Miss you and love you, brave knight of the Enbarr palace. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Mercedes” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Ingrid couldn’t help smiling while reading the letter over and over, one of the many that came from Mercedes and were kept in the vanity beside their bed. Although the Black Eagles Strike Force had won the war and everyone had pretty much scattered around the continent, with some like them, Dorothea and Marianne staying at the palace to help Edelgard with the more administrative matters of running a continent by herself, it still felt as if they were together everyday. Whenever Ingrid woke up in the morning they would need a second or two to understand that they were no longer at the monastery, in the small, cozy room they had loved as a home, as a respite from a home in Galatea that had never really seen or heard them as they were.</p><p>As a place that respected, cherished and motivated them to be the knight and the person that they had always dreamed of being, social expectations be damned.</p><p>Once the war was won and nobles were stripped of their privileges, crests no longer were allowed to dictate a person’s life and their destiny. It was a slow process that had met some resistance from the more traditional families, the ones that had relied on the extra power given by crests in order to be of use on the occasions that they decided were worthy of their time and attention, otherwise staying as quiet and still as if they didn’t exist at all.</p><p>Edelgard had been keen to let these people know she shouldn’t be underestimated by her small stature and the fact that once upon a time the Hresvelgs had been no more than puppets whimpering about the power they had lost. Her decrees were signed and put into practice with haste, with Ingrid being an important part not only in protecting the new Emperor once threats arose but also in dealing with nobles that dared defying them.</p><p>Though even after their most successful negotiations and talks with whatever snob that had felt threatened by their loss of status, the knight could only wonder how Edelgard had done that for years and continued to do so day after day.</p><p>Ingrid shook their head and glanced around them, at the stables that had welcomed their dear Freya as if the pegasus hadn’t served under Kingdom banners once upon a time. It was a chilly night for Enbarr standards, stars dotting the open skies, the strong winds that were characteristic of the Guardian Moon whispering and calling to them, a siren’s song they had never been able to not harken to. One that they kept answering every day after long discussions and conferences with Edelgard, her partners Constance and Dorothea, the professor, other students from the Officers Academy and people from the entire continent that had proven themselves both during and after the war.  </p><p>This time it would be no different and Ingrid would end their day in the sky once again, though it was later than usual and they carried something in their hands that usually wasn’t there to begin with. </p><p>And the thing in question, which Freya eyed and sniffled the slightest once Ingrid approached her and gave her a soft pat on the neck before going outside and allowing the pegasus to follow them, was an uninteresting white bag full to the brim with… toys.</p><p>It was Saint Seiros Day - or rather, it would be in about a week from then. However, for this year it would be just another day with nothing to really celebrate, as Edelgard had been too busy to sit down and make up a list of official holidays or the sorts. Pacifying both rebelling nobles and other signs of upheaval around a continent that was still awakening to its freedom was already tough enough work as it was. </p><p>Though she had scowled and shaken her head, blushing the slightest when Constance had suggested they should  have an Edelgard Day, with Dorothea more than just vouching for it, but also making an actual list of events and attractions they could have in Enbarr on such occasions. Of course it included an opera of her own direction and participation, one that described all the feats the woman and Emperor had done, plus decorating the city in red (painting the town red, as Byleth had agreed with a chuckle) and giving the kids some small black eagle plushies that Bernadetta could make as well. </p><p>Ingrid laughed at the memory and Frey nuzzled them, glad to see them in good spirits and already sure that their trip wouldn’t involve a conflict or any sort of war. There were no weapons in sight and the grounds were quiet as they walked through it, with only a few soldiers and guards on patrol who saluted Ingrid with a nod - they had told everyone it was ok to not address her with a bow or something more formal. They just wanted to be Ingrid after all, nothing more.</p><p>Nothing more than the person who enjoyed a night stroll or flight on their pegasus after a day of negotiations.</p><p>The night air welcomed them once they got in the courtyard and Freya soared, the grand, grey palace walls getting smaller and smaller the higher they went in the sky. Soon it was nothing but a silver dot against the greens of a forest, the rapidly running dark blue of a river, the ululating oranges and yellows of some torches that glittered on the ground, stars of their own now that the sky, their home, had embraced them once more. </p><p>The exhilaration of being in the air was enough to make them chuckle, even more so since it was such a still, beautiful night to appreciate the gift of flying, the gift of peace that they and the rest of the Black Eagles Strike Force had been able to get. Sure, there was still a lot of work to be done, but that wasn’t what that particular trip was all about. </p><p>No, that trip was for giving presents to kids, to deliver them some hope and happiness after traveling from Enbarr to the Kingdom, to the land of Faerghus and all the orphans that Mercedes had been caring for with Annette’s and Lysithea’s help.</p><p>It wouldn’t be an easy or a fast journey, but it was one they had prepared to anyways - and yes, they had packed some snacks in another pouch that was lying on their hip over the red and white light armor they wore for riding, the clothes fluttering in the air as Freya sped up and followed a route that her came from her knight’s heart. One that led to the person their heart had beat and sang to for years and years.</p><p>Against the warmth of their heart's desire the night was chilly, like those in the beginning of the year tended to be. Ingrid was no stranger to those temperatures or to facing them in the back of a pegasus, thus they were smiling while the sky stretched in front of them, wide and dark and cloudless, the stars above and small dots of ululating lights below to show where fires were. Their eyes roamed over it, the fields that had still been worked by farmers before the temperatures in Imperial lands finally resembled what they could recall of winter back in the Kingdom, the mountains that rose around the capital, framing it until they receded. They watched both land and sky with its animals and forests scattered over and around them, the clouds that sometimes showed up and we're blown away by the same wind that was carrying them forward. The small houses here and there that were a contrast to the palace they had come from and to some bigger ones on the outskirts, separated from the larger cities and surrounded by gates that could be seen even from that distance and at night.</p><p>Such boundaries would soon become meaningless and the houses, mere decorations that would perhaps be seen as small nods to the past. At least the symbolical gates that had separated nobles and commoners before had already begun crumbling to the ground and slowly becoming irrelevant.</p><p>And so they went for around three or more days, the landscape changing and showing some signs of battles where they had occurred. A few forests had more fallen trees than they should, parts in which grass was charred on nonexistent due to the damage the field had sustained. Some homes were broken, glass glittering under sunlight as they floated above it. Even if traveling by night seemed safer, they were in such a hurry to get to Fhirdiad and see Mercedes that at times they couldn’t sleep at all and simply pressed on, Freya sharing their excitement and the will to move on as well. </p><p>The moment they passed over the Oghma mountains and the monastery that had brought them so many freeing, beautiful days, a liege to follow with their entire heart and a purpose that spoke to them and not to the wills and whims of others that had dictated their life so far, a smile colored their lips and was shinier than the rising sun, the oranges, pinks and reds that were painting the sky as a new day, a new dawn reached Fódlan once more.</p><p>They could only hope it would offer the continent the same breath of fresh air than it had to them.</p><p>The wind became colder and stronger once they reached Faerghus, cutting through their clothes and Freya’s feathers but nevertheless edging them on towards their destination. Although it hadn’t been long since the last time they set foot in that portion of the world, since the war had forced them to confront their past and the lands they had been born into, Lüin at their side and its gleam casting shadows in opponents that had stayed in the darkness of the church, it was different then to be seeing it from above, in leisure. To be flying above the Magdred Way, the destruction left after the attack on Arianrhod and Rome not so far away from it. Their heart clenched at the sights, at how few people they could see in those locations even in broad daylight. </p><p>It had been necessary and they knew it. They knew better than most that freedom asked for a price, one that sometimes was too dear to be paid but had to be more than worth it as well. Soon enough they would know what real freedom was, as soon as those who slither in the dark were eliminated and stopped putting pressure on Edelgard so she could run Fódlan the way she saw fit before resigning. As soon as she could become the person she had always wished to be, the one who had enchanted Ingrid from the first time they had met.</p><p>That battle would happen in a while and Ingrid would be more than glad to help, the feeling of disgust briefly burning their throat as they recalled a recent meeting in Edelgard’s private chambers in which she had told them and their closest friends from the Black Eagles Strike Force about her past, about what had been done to her and all it entailed. How there was still another fight, one that would more than likely be done in silence in order to not put more stress on the people of Fódlan after the five-and-a-half-year-war was finally over.</p><p>Yet with resources to mobilize, nobles to explain over and over again that they were no longer special and small, local rebellions to appease there had been no time yet to organize another warfare to send to Hrym, where they had received reports on signs of weird magical activity some weeks ago.</p><p>But that was for another day, another one of those things that unfortunately Ingrid couldn’t solve by themself. What they could deal with right then and there, though it sounded and seemed way smaller in scale when compared to actually freeing the continent from its last shackles, was to make sure some kids got a few gifts in the Saint Seiros day that would no longer be called Saint Seiros day.</p><p>With that their darker thoughts were dispelled, the wind ruffling them away with a gentle caress instead of the strong gust that had been carrying them forward through the last few days.</p><p>They had avoided passing over Galatea and the darker memories it would allude in their heart, wanting to keep the trip as light and cheerful as possible. The last thing Ingrid wanted was to be reminded of those who still addressed them by old names and older titles that no longer spoke to them, that they hadn't thought of as theirs for a long, long time.</p><p>They were on the edge of Fhirdiad, what had been saved of the charred capital and reconstructed with the help of Imperial forces that had returned there after the war was won. Even so it was a gloomy sight, most of the ground black instead of the pretty stony silver it had been before, the houses around the streets mostly destroyed and reduced to ashes.</p><p>The few that had survived the struggle or been somewhat further away from the flames were in darkness, devoid of life and care since few to no people had wanted to hang around the sights of war and what it had brought. </p><p>Yet in the end of the main city area and the palace that was no more, closer to the frozen vegetation that surrounded it there were a few signs of human settlement, small, simple housings that were saplings reaching for sunlight, fighting for themselves and for their right to persist. Though most of them were silent and still since Ingrid had arrived in a rather late hour, they still gave them hope and made them smile, letting Freya hover aboveground for a few seconds as both simply stared at what seemed like a manifestation of recovery, of the will to survive despite the odds.</p><p>Of the will to carry on and start anew, of carve one’s own path as they saw fit.</p><p>Ingrid’s heart was singing in joy once they spotted a house unlike the others, bigger in size and with a few lights still on in the upper floors, shining beacons to them after days and nights traveling to such a place. There were some marks of damage on the structure, a window that was broken and a missing balcony on the second floor, though otherwise the house was in working order and was probably the most well-preserved one in the entire city.</p><p>It was also the place that Mercedes, Annette and Lysithea had deemed the best to house the orphans and kids who got hurt throughout the conflict, even if the Black Eagles had done the best to stay away from civilians and push them to safety as much as they could. </p><p>Some months had passed since the last time Ingrid had been there and they could see some improvements had already been done to the house, such as the fact that the front door was no longer standing ajar and there were three clotheslines on the yard, all full of pieces in different sizes and colors dancing in the night wind. </p><p>It was a beautiful view, those signs of a return to a calmer life after such a long war as the one they had been in. More often than not Ingrid wondered what it would be like after Edelgard was done with her efforts to pacify and ensure that Fódlan would be in the hands of a good, serious leader. How the emperor would spend the rest of her life and what she would rather do. What Ingrid could do as well with the rest of their life once the duty to the liege they had chosen to follow would be no more. </p><p>Yet somehow the prospect of change didn’t scare them, it was just a faint reminder that things could and would keep transforming themselves since that was the natural way of life. As they ordered Freya to descend on the roof so they could think of a better way to approach this, realizing their planning hadn’t covered what to do once they arrived at the orphanage or how to best deliver the gifts, they beamed and relished in the prospect of all they could actually do when the next few orders were carried out. </p><p>When they would be free to be themselves, to do as they pleased and not follow anything that didn’t serve them after all.</p><p>The thoughts made them drift for a while, one hand affectionately petting Freya’s neck, emerald eyes dancing at the edge of the trees around the house, the small glint of the city behind them as they turned to look at it. The expanse of mountain on the opposite side, the vast sky that felt like home.</p><p>Everywhere they turned they saw possibilities, different lifestyles and places that could also be their home once the sky became too much. If the sky ever became too much, but that was a possibility nonetheless.</p><p>And now… now they shook their head and took a better grip on the white bag full of gifts that had survived the trip, the little wooden toys and trinkets and sweets they had gotten along the way, glanced around themself once more in search of a solution, anything that would allow them to get into the house unnoticed so the kids wouldn’t wake up and be thrown into panic.</p><p>Last time they had visited they were a little bit too loud and blatant about it, knocking on the door in the middle of the night since the same lights had been on in the second floor, which meant that Mercedes and the others were awake. Ingrid had yelled something or the other about the door being ajar and if that meant they could come in, causing the kids to start screaming and dashing around, as they had been enjoying a nice sleepover in the living room for a change of scenario.</p><p>Ingrid had gotten more than just some reproaches from Mercedes, Annette and Lysithea, but actually a full scolding that made them feel like a child again. So this time, well… this time it would be nice if they didn’t make the same mistake on a visit that was completely unannounced and supposed to be a surprise for the orphans and the women too. That was why having Freya drop them in some balcony or another on the second floor was also not a solution, though it had been tempting for a while.</p><p>The moment they had run out of ideas was also the one in which they spotted the new chimney on the other side of the roof. It made Ingrid recall another of Mercedes’s letters in which she told them about getting a fireplace built so the kids could enjoy cozy evenings by the fire while Lys and Annie read them stories and Mercie baked some cookies. It was nice to see that it had finally been built and they wondered if that nice little mental image that Mercedes’s words had brought them finally came true in that harsh winter in Faerghus, the days that had been becoming shorter as the nights grew longer...</p><p>It was when they stepped closer to the chimney that the idea consolidated itself. It was foolish, it was stupid, but at the same time it would work way better than any other method they could think about.</p><p>And in the end, if they were being honest it was actually the <em> only </em> idea they could think about at the moment. </p><p>So that was why they first took a cursory look down the chimney and sighed in relief since there was neither light nor the smell of ashes coming from it, meaning it wasn’t in use and would be safe for them to climb down. Well, safe surely wasn’t the best word to describe it but what else were they supposed to do in a situation like that?</p><p>It was easier than they had thought to get inside the whole thing, which was luckily wide enough that three Ingrids would be able to stay inside it at the same time. Their legs and arms found purchase against the tiles and they were really glad they had been able to find some time to squeeze a few training sessions between meetings and other duties that were now requested of them in the palace. Given how irregular some of those bricks were positioned it was rather easy for them to find hand and footholds which were safe enough for a swift climb, especially when compared to the mountains, trees and hills they had been up and down during monastery and war times, in patrols when flying was too dangerous since an archer or two could be in hiding and they hadn’t wanted to risk Freya.</p><p>It went on so quick that Ingrid was actually shocked when their feet hit air once they reached down to find another brick and were met with nothing instead. A brief peek down revealed there was only the ground waiting for them a few centimeters away from them, the opening of the fireplace letting in some light from some part of the house.</p><p>Uh oh, was there someone awake down there was well? They couldn’t recall seeing any lights up on the ground floor once they were getting closer but it was worth the risk, wasn’t it?</p><p>They were out of the darkened chimney and into the gloomy living room with a fast movement, the landing smooth and quiet as they had intended it to be. They had to duck underneath the fireplace opening in order to step into the living room; the moment before it Ingrid realized only their body and not their head would be visible if someone happened to be staring at the chimney, something that made them widen their eyes and wonder how shocked someone would be upon seeing that.</p><p>But luck seemed to be on Ingrid’s side this time around, at least until then. There was no one on the couches that were displayed in an L shape facing the fireplace, the beautiful, silver and blue rug underneath the furniture also depleted of children who were prone to sleep over it once Lysithea and Annette settled down to tell them stories. On the opposite side of the room was a wooden staircase that led to the second floor, the place where light was spilling from and bathing the room she was in with a soft luminescence, enough so they could see more than a palm in front of them.</p><p>To their right was a long, rectangular table and two equally long benches where the kids would sit down for meals, drawing and lessons as well - Ingrid had witnessed those and commended on the way the three women were teaching all the orphans how to read and write, things that many commoners grew up without learning, they had found out. And beyond that was the kitchen, Mercedes’s favorite place of the house though many kids were already accompanying and helping her out with cooking as well. </p><p>There was no sound to be heard for a few seconds and Ingrid simply smiled, enjoyed looking at the still picture of the life their dear Mercie was creating alongside two mages that wanted and had decided to stay and help. It was a lot more peaceful than the Enbarr palace, that was sure, where this late at night Edelgard, Dorothea and Constance would be out and about dealing with requests, documents and orders that required attention no matter what. </p><p>It had an air of familiarity that wasn’t oppressive like their home had sometimes felt like. Rather, in all of Mercedes’s letters and the memories Ingrid harbored from visiting they had experienced nothing but kindness, the kind will of three women that wanted to do their best for the orphans and nourish them, embrace them after the horrors of the war so they could instead look forward to the future they wanted to create. </p><p>Well, if that wasn’t the sweetest project Ingrid had ever heard about then they didn’t know what else it could be.</p><p>The first step into that haven felt like a little bit of an invasion even though they had been there a few times already. The white bag was still thrown over their shoulder and had survived the climb as well, which was relieving since ingrid had feared it could slide out and hit the floor loud enough to wake up the entire house. </p><p>After that strangeness of being somewhere that wasn’t their own quarters back in Enbarr that late at night was done with, they beamed and hummed to themselves, silently pacing around the living room where they had taken a nap with the kids some months ago and poised as a model for them to draw the next day.</p><p>There was a smile on their face at those fleeting memories that had already brought them so much joy, so much a sense of belonging even though they hadn’t been able to spend much time in the orphanage as it was. Even so they considered what all of that could mean while pacing towards the table and, in their haste, simply upending the contents of the white bag against the wooden surface. </p><p>The moment Ingrid noticed what they had done - and that maybe that carelessness could cost them dearly as the toys loudly clattered against the wood - was also the one in which they realized they had just heard some steps coming from the kitchen.</p><p>And if their careless move when lost in thought hadn’t been enough to alert some people there was something going on downstairs, the yell that followed, the shrill, childish voice made it sure was the casw. </p><p>“AHHHH MISS MERCIE, MISS MERCIE! THERE IS A THIEF!”</p><p>Ingrid had never seen that girl before and realized it was probably a new orphan that had recently gotten there. She couldn’t be older than eight and way shorter than Ingrid, but that didn’t stop her from trying to tackle the knight while yelling insults, the sounds of several little steps and louder, surer ones reaching them downstairs and making Ingrid panic at the entire thing. </p><p>After all that they had done in order to avoid detection, did they really have to get distracted in such an important moment as it was? They had decided to drop the toys and climb up the chimney again, sleep on the roof under the stars and wait until the next day in order to explain what all those gifts were doing on the table to begin with. And now...</p><p>When Mercedes, Lysithea and Annette became visible at the edge of the stairs Ingrid was still fighting a little girl with long, curly blonde hair that was as fierce as they had been as a child. They were doing their best not to hurt her and just hold her away from further harm, taking the small punches to their stomach and legs without really complaining of the strength behind them. Yet they were almost knocked to the ground when the kid tried kicking their leg - that was what they told themself anyways, though the real culprit was totally seeing Mercedes one more time, the smile they received at that first sight.</p><p>She was wearing a long night robe that shone pearly white under the fireball spell that was hovering over her palm, her beautiful blue eyes that were in an angry frown while descending the stairs now opening up as the kindest smile graced her lips. Though there was nothing more beautiful than the sound of her laugh once she took in the situation, then turned around to shake her head at Lys and Annie, saying they could go back to their room as it was. </p><p>“Now now, Belle, you’re a great warrior and fierce protector but I can handle this from here, sweetie,” Mercedes crooned and watched as the girl gave Ingrid a few extra punches for effect before sulking away behind the woman, where most of the other kids were too. </p><p>There were more than a dozen of them right there, ogling Ingrid in the darkness as if they were the enemy to be defeated. The knight put their hands up as if admitting defeat, but that didn’t stop the children from glaring at them.</p><p>“I saw everything!” Belle yelled, still not placated since Mercedes was just eyeing Ingrid from head to toe and had yet to move or do something, anything at all. “They came from the roof! From the, from the chimney! And, and uh, they stole our things in that white baggie right there and -”</p><p>“Hm, did they now?” Mercedes finally reacted, snapping to her senses due to the screams and turning aside to look at the table after gracing Ingrid with a sweet smile. “Oh, funny. I don’t recall us having any of these before.” She held up a wooden horse for closer inspection, marvelling at the craftsmanship and how amazing it looked. How good it would be, to have new things for the kids that were getting brattier and brattier without new toys to play with or new activities to do. </p><p>“Yeah! That’s so pwetty too,” a boy said, tiptoeing around the table and grabbing a small rubber ball, rolling it between his fingers. “Miss Mercie, can we keep this?”</p><p>“But what is all of this doing here?” One other kid asked and made most of them echo the thought while they crowded the table, more worried with the new objects than with the fact there was a person dressed in red almost from head to toe and with an empty white bag on their shoulder as well.</p><p>Yet before Mercedes could finally turn to Ingrid and salute them, something she had been wanting to do before that confusion started, one child seemed to remember the strange presence in the room and connect the dots on their own. “Miss Merce, who <em> are </em> they? Did they bring toys?”</p><p>Mercedes beamed, pat the kid on the head and said before any of them could repeat the question - and before Ingrid could have an idea of their own and ruin hers with a few words. “Oh, have you never heard of…” her eyes swooped over Ingrid one more time before she went on, a devilish grin on her face. “Saint Clouds? They’re an incredible person that travels around Fódlan on a pegasus. On their birthday they give gifts to the good kids that behaved well all year long.”</p><p>There were gasps of surprise at that, a few of the children dropping the toys on their hands to glance at Ingrid with a mixture of admiration, joy and gratitude for what they had been given. A few took a tentative step forward, others apologized for the suspicion and asked if they had been good, to which Ingrid nodded and beamed to dispel their worries.</p><p>Only one child seemed to be still a little bit puzzled, head tilted as she regarded Ingrid and eventually approached them, placing a small hand on their leg. “Santa… Claus?”</p><p>Everyone burst out laughing, most of all Mercedes who had no idea how to react to that. She watched as Ingrid picked up the girl and nodded instead, accepting the name as if it had always been theirs. As if that was the most natural thing to do.</p><p>After the initial excitement was gone and most of the little ones went back to bed, Mercedes and Ingrid were finally able to sit down on the floor and talk about what had happened, a sleepy Belle lying on Ingrid’s lap and barely catching the explanation on what had driven the knight to travel all the way from Enbarr while dressed in red and carrying gifts too. </p><p>Of course Mercie had giggled more than a kid would once she heard the part about Ingrid going down the chimney as well, something that made them turn redder than the clothing they were wearing. At the very least it was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek as well as a “thank you” and offers of sharing a bed for the night since the orphanage was literally up to full capacity as it was.</p><p>Maybe in that occasion Ingrid had denied it and taken the spot she had planned on occupying before all of that confusion had ensued, lying under the stars in the company of Freya on the roof. But also maybe a few months later they would be back and they would be staying a little longer, acting as combat teacher for the kids and a guard at Fhirdiad during the evening, loving that they were back on training and fighting instead of being behind a desk dealing with documents all day.</p><p>Maybe a few months later Ingrid and Mercedes would share a bed not only because there was nowhere else for the knight to sleep in, but because love had finally been spoken and bloomed between them. There were nights when they shared passionate kisses under the stairs, behind doors and close to the forests whenever they thought the kids weren’t looking.</p><p>And every year Ingrid would wear the Imperial reds and go down the chimney, adding their helmet on so the children wouldn’t know right away that it was them, and pretend to be once again Saint Clouds.. or Santa Claus, as the kids preferred to say.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kuroooooo merry Christmas!!! How to not look at your works and be inspired by your fierce, gallant Ingrid? Pegasus knight does go very much whoosh whoosh and delivers gifts this time ahdjdhjss</p><p>I hope you enjoy this little silliness and have a great holiday season! Love you and thanks for being the amazing friend that you are.</p><p>Lina</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>